Leaf: The leaf has a very matte color to it, and consists of primarily small pieces. I found this rather surprising considering most teas I find that I enjoy have larger pieces and a shinier glossy appearance to it. The leaf consists of a very apparently blend of different shades of green though. It was apparent that lots of work and effort had gone into making this blend.

1st Infusion: The first infusion had a slightly murky color to a yellow green color to it. The flavor was amazingly strong and sweet. It was like a very impressive yutaka midori. There was a very light bitterness to the flavor which was a nice counterpoint to the sweetness, but not overpowering. Similarly there was a very light astringency to the tea as well, a nice counterpoint to the sweetness as well. This tea has a very good clean feeling to it.

2nd Infusion: This infusion had an even darker color to it, it as almost a murky dark brown-green color. This time it had a medium sense of bitterness, but yet retained the strong sweetness of the first infusion.

Rating: 10/10

Conslusion: I was rather curious about the teas from Sugimoto after I had heard that their genmaicha had won the best flavored/blended tea category at the World Tea Expo this year. I had never heard of them previously and so I looked them up. Much to my surprise they have an offering of only 3 teas. This Sencha was the first that I tried, and it is absolutely superb. I have also tried this tea as a cold brewed iced tea, and the sweetness was amazing in that as well. I really enjoyed this one.